Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Mirthala Salinas - Who Is She?

If you scan the news on the Internet like I do, you might have seen the name "Mirthala Salinas" come up. I saw the name, but had no idea who she was, or what made her significant. So I dug deeper. Turns out, Mirthala Salinas is a television anchor for the American television network, Telemundo. Telemundo was founded in San Juan, Puerto Rico by Angel Ramos in the year 1954, but is now US based in Hialeah, FL.. It is known to be the second-largest Spanish language network in the US, right behind Univision. It is said to reach 93 percent of U.S. Hispanic households in 142 markets via over-the-air, cable and satellite TV.

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Telemundo is also the only Spanish-language television network that produces telenovelas in the United States at the current time. Many of its programs air with closed captions in both Spanish and English. Its owner, Telemundo Communications Group, is affiliated with the NBC Universal division of General Electric.

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Mirthala Salinas, however, made her mark in current days because the news of her affair with Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa has come to light. In a statement issued Tuesday, Villaraigosa admitted to his affair, or "relationship", as he calls it, with the television anchor.

"It is true that I have a relationship with Ms. Mirthala Salinas," Villaraigosa said in a statement published in the Los Angeles Daily News. "As I've said I take full responsibility for my actions, and I once again ask that people respect my family's privacy. For my part, I intend to stay focused on my job, and to work as hard as I can every day to be the best mayor I can be."

It has been reported that the mayor was a visitor at the townhouse of Mirthala Salinas -- bottle of wine in hand -- four months after he took office in 2005. Photographer Robert Durrell published photos of Villaraigosa and Salinas together in Sacramento at about the same time. Reports also mention trips where Salinas went along and covered the mayor. There are also news snippets on how Villaraigosa helped Salinas last year when her mother was sick with cancer at Cedars-Sinai. Villaraigosa attended the funeral when Salinas' mother passed away. Salinas has this to say:

"I first got to know the mayor at a professional level where we went on to become friends," she said. "The current relationship grew out of our existing friendship."

Salinas said that while she and the mayor "are both public figures, I hope that everyone can understand and respect my desire to maintain my privacy when it comes to personal relationships."

Reporter Eric Longabardi of ERS News.com has evidence that before Mirthala Salinas became involved with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, she was the girlfriend of his close friend and ally, Speaker Fabian Núñez. Quoting Longabardi:

"Assembly Speaker, Fabio Nunez, one of Villaraigosa's best friends, also had a relationship with Salinas from the summer of 2003 until after his swearing in as Assembly Speaker in February 2004. The Speaker's office confirmed to ERSNews.com that while the Speaker was divorced from his wife Maria (they have since remarried), Nunez and Salinas had a romantic relationship. Salinas attended Nunez's swearing in as Speaker of the Assembly. Sources also tell ERSNews.com that Salinas would regularly fly to Sacramento to see the Speaker. One insider at Telemundo said that 'everybody in the newsroom knew all about it and management did nothing about it.'"

Villaraigosa and his wife Corina, stopped making public appearances together last January. When asked why he no longer wore his wedding ring, at that time the mayor laughed and said he had simply been working out and losing weight, and the ring was at the jeweler's getting resized. Villagaigosa has since admitted that he and his wife are separated and are seeking a divorce. Salinas moved off the political beat about 11 months ago.

Mirthala Salinas - Who Is She?

Ala

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Alpha Lipoic Acid Dosage

A daily Dose of 20 mg to 50 mg (milligrams) of ALA, or alpha lipoic acid, is the minimum requirement of healthy person. In diabetes, for antioxidant protection it is essential to administer a Dose of 100 mg twice a day to help prevent further complications. However, for diabetic neuropathy, the required Dose is 200 mg, 3 times a day.

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ALA is a universal anti-oxidant. It has been widely lauded as a general, all-around free radical buster. Free radicals are damaging to the body, causing liver damage, inflaming diabetes, and other health problems. ALA is a naturally occuring anti-oxidant in the body, but daily dosages can greatly improve chances of fighting off these various diseases. The pills, creams and lotions are made from plant foods like tomatoes, spinach, and broccolli, as well as beef, yeast, and kidneys. Follow these instructions, but please also consult your doctor. These are only suggestions.

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For anti-aging, a daily Dose of 100 mg of ALA is suggested by the manufacturers. To help with cancer prevention, a Dose of 100 mg of ALA twice a day is usually administered. For cataract patients, a 100 mg Dose of ALA twice a day may be beneficial. In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, usually a daily Dose of 100 to 200 mg is prescribed.

It is beneficial to administer a Dose of 100 mg twice a day in hepatitis patients. ALA supports healthy skin at a Dose of 50 mg twice a day. Topical application of ALA also proves to be exceptionally beneficial to the skin.

Alpha Lipoic Acid Dosage

Ala

Forenoon Snow (Minnesota's Emerald Snow)(Now In Spanish and English)

Above--, emerald snow, flows

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Down (On Minnesota green),

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As I look out my window:

Gaze upon the snowy skies,

Capture the morning scene--!

Boundless and swift, untroubled:

Are--, its snowy glistening hues!...

Happy I thought: to see this soft

Emerald, forenoon snow...

"Follow me, O' yes, please do":

I called unto the Forenoon Snow:

"Follow me into my memories,

For times when I am old!... "

#940 (12/3/05)

Note (by the author): "This afternoon, I walked out into the soft snow in my driveway; whizzed the snow away from my car with a broom. Then I remembered how beautiful it all is, winter in Minnesota (how it was, used to be, is); I was kind of in a trance looking at it all descend from the sky, onto the green tree in our yard, the car, driveway, me. I had waked up earlier, and looked out the window (prior to this), and it was boundless snow that filled my eyes: I remember thinking, 'What a blessing to be able to simply absorb this all'. Later on that evening my wife said: "I love walking in the snow," she's from Peru, and this is her sixth winter in Minnesota. She has learned there is no other place on earth that has such a wonderful and full winter. Long it is, but beautiful. And then she said that evening as we left the bookstore, to get into our car, "Look at the snow how it glistens," it was doing just that with the lights of the bookstore, and arch light by the car, and moon, it all set the mood, touched our senses, this was not a perchance thing, it was a God sent thing; she has learned what we Minnesotans take for granted: Minnesota is by far, the wonderland of all lands in the world, in winter, and St. Paul, is surely the city of cites to enjoy a winter in.

I have learned one must grab the novelistic beauty of a thing, and bottle it, before it disappears"

In Spanish

Translated by Nancy Penaloza

Nevada matutina

(La Nieve De esmeralda de Minnesota)

Encima-, la nieve de esmeralda fluye

Abajo (Sobre Minnesota verde),

Mientras miro fuera de mi ventana:

¡Mirando fijamente sobre los cielos nevosos,

Capturo la escena de la mañana-!

Abundante y rápido, sin problemas:

¡Son-, sus matices nevosos que brillan!...

Feliz pensé: por ver esta suave

Esmeralda, nieve de la mañana...

"Sígame Oh sí, por favor hágalo":

Llamé a la Nieve de la Mañana:

"¡Sígame dentro de mis memorias,

Para tiempos cuando este viejo!" ...

940 (12/3/05)

Note (por el autor): " Esta tarde, ande sobre la nieve suave en mi camino regreso; sacudiendo la nieve lejos de mi coche con una escoba. Entonces recordé cuan hermoso es todo esto,, el invierno en Minnesota (como era, solía ser, es); era una especie de en un trance mirando descender todo del cielo, sobre el árbol verde en nuestra jardín, el coche, me conducía. Yo había andado temprano, y mirado por la ventana (antes de esto), y esto era la nieve abundante que llenó mis ojos: recuerdo pensando "Que bendición ser capaz de absorber simplemente todo este". Más tarde esa tarde mi esposa dijo: " Me gusta andar en la nieve", ella es de Perú, y esto es su sexto invierno en Minnesota. Ella ha aprendido que no hay ningún otro lugar sobre la tierra que tiene un invierno tan maravilloso y lleno. Largo es este, pero hermoso. Y luego ella dijo esa tarde cuando dejamos la biblioteca, para entrar en nuestro coche, " Mira la nieve como brilla", estaba haciendo justo esto con las luces de la biblioteca, y por la luz de arco del coche, y la luna, todo esta disposición del juego, tocó nuestros sentidos, esto no era una cosa incierta , era algo enviado por Dios ella ha aprendido lo que nosotros los Minnesotanos damos por echo: Minnesota es por ahora, el país de las maravillas de todas las tierras en el mundo, en el invierno, y Saint Paúl, es seguramente la ciudad de ciudades para disfrutar de un invierno. He aprendido que hay que agarrar la belleza novelística de una cosa, y embotellarlo, antes de que esto desaparezca"

Forenoon Snow (Minnesota's Emerald Snow)(Now In Spanish and English)

Esa

Putting Together Your Man Cave

There are a million things that a man wants in his area of the house that is just his and no one else's. Amongst the game tables and flat screens, there are his closest friends simply relaxing on comfortable black leather couches that let you sink in and recline; losing track of time entirely. On one of the corners of the room, there should be a wet bar just waiting for someone to ask for the four different kinds of beer on tap.

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The Foosball table lies in wait for four men to have an epic battle between blue and red stick men. The dual flat screen high definition televisions sit right in front of the leather chairs, allowing for multiple sporting events to be enjoyed at one time. Now this room seems to be a little far fetched if you are a married man, but it can all be done for a rather cheap price if you know where too look and if you already have a great empty room in your house. Perhaps the basement is finished and you don't know what to do with the space.

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If your lucky enough to have a wife or girlfriend that will let you have this man cave, everything you need to be perfectly content can be yours for less than five thousand dollars. There are multiple pool tables to choose from and if you look on websites like eBay, you can get a decent table for less than a thousand dollars. They will even ship it directly to your doorstep.

The other game tables that you need to complement your room is even cheaper than that, ranging from three hundred to eight hundred dollars. These days, televisions are cheaper than ever and something over forty inches can cost somewhere around six to seven hundred dollars if you look for online deals and refurbished products which are just as good as new ones.

The bar may be a little more expensive because of the wiring and piping that will be involved. But if you can live without the beer on tap, it will also cost only a couple thousand if you choose the right materials and the right labor.

To be honest, a man cave is just a name for a game room and game rooms are just a place to relax and unwind. A man will quite simply live longer if he has one.

Putting Together Your Man Cave

Cave

Monday, October 24, 2011

10 Ways to Get The Most Out of Your Rebate Check

By now you've heard about the tax rebate check that will be mailed out beginning in May. While the purpose of the rebate is to get people to spend and to stimulate the economy, many people are planning on using this "found money" to pay down debts or to save.

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Here are 10 ways to get the most out of your rebate check:

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1. Contribute to a Roth IRA. The maximum contribution for 2008 is ,000 (,000 if you are over age 50). You can contribute to a Roth IRA as long as you have earned income and your adjusted gross income is less than 1-116,000 (9-169,000 for married taxpayers). Roth IRAs are very flexible investments since you can get your contributions out at any time without penalty, which makes Roths perfect for saving for retirement, college, or even a rainy day.

2. Give the money to charity. You can claim a deduction for your gift on your 2008 tax return, if you itemize using Schedule A of Form 1040.

3. Open a 529 college savings plan to fund your own or your children's educations. Withdrawals from 529 plans are tax free as long as the money is used for qualified education expenses, and some states allow a deduction for contributions. If you plan on sending your children to private secondary school, consider funding an Education Savings Account (ESA) instead.

4. If you have credit card debt, use your rebate check to pay off as much as possible. Since the average interest rate on credit cards is over 18%, this could be the best investment you make with your rebate money.

5. Mortgage interest rates are the lowest we've seen in years. If you have a good credit score, now is a good time to refinance your mortgage and/or to combine second mortgages or home equity lines of credit into more attractive loans. Now's also a great time to get out of variable loans. Use your "found money" to pay points and loan costs.

6. Use the money to purchase stock mutual funds at lower prices. While the market has been very volatile lately, there's never been a better time to invest. If you have cash sitting on the sidelines, you could miss the next market upswing. Time in the market matters more than trying to time when to get into the market. If you are investing for the long-term, you can't afford not to be invested in stocks. Remember the old adage, "buy low and sell high." Stock prices are low right now, so get them while they're on sale.

7. Use your rebate money to hire an attorney to update your will. Without a will issues such as child guardianship and disbursements of assets will not be decided by you, but rather the laws at the time. For high net worth families, make sure your estate plan is up to date.

8. Increase your emergency fund. Unfortunately, when the economy slows, job losses and/or business declines are inevitable. That's when you need your emergency fund the most, so make sure you're prepared in case the worst happens.

9. Schedule your annual check ups with your doctor and your dentist. Use your rebate money to pay the deductible and co-payments. Join the YMCA or the local health club, consult with a nutritionist, or buy a piece of exercise equipment (and be sure to use it!). Without your health, wealth is not important.

10. Last but not least, schedule a financial check up for yourself. Annual trips to the dentist, the doctor - and your financial planner - are wise investments. A professional financial adviser can help you see tax loss harvesting opportunities, assess investment options, analyze insurance coverages, and plan for a secure retirement.

10 Ways to Get The Most Out of Your Rebate Check

Esa

How to Get Free Food

Food prices rocketed last year. They're beginning to come down but not fast enough. Fill in the gaps by getting free food where you can.

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You can eat out for free on a regular basis by becoming a mystery shopper. Just sign up with mystery shopping agencies such as TNS-Global, ESA, GFK or JKS All you do is sign-up for restaurant visits that are being offered by the agency, go and have lunch or dinner (depending on what you're asked to do) and then write it up online. You will get your expenses sent to you plus £5 or so for doing it. Get into foraging. There's free food all around you on hedgerows across the country - at least there will be in the warmer months. There are loads of places you can go to pick up tasty free food. Try foraging in hedgerows, woods, and on the seashore. It is good to have an understanding of what you are looking for, and there are a number of websites around to help you identify everything from nuts and herbs to fruits and leafy vegetables to shellfish. Have a look at Wild Man Wild Food and Naturali for more info - and to get clued in on what's safe to eat and what should be left alone. Go Freegan. It may sound odd, but every day supermarkets throw out enormous quantities of food that have gone past their sell-by dates (and so cannot be legally sold) but are still good to eat and often in top-notch condition. They throw them into the big bins behind the supermarket where they are fair game for dumpster foragers - or 'Freegans' as they are known. If you're not squeamish you can find perfectly good food absolutely for free in the bins behind major supermarkets. Freegans constantly find ready meals with the plastic packaging intact but no outer cardboard packaging. There are often also full jars and tinned items, and even ice-cream, all with sell-by dates far in the future, but the packaging is dented or tarnished in some way. If you fancy trying your hand at Freegan foraging the best time to go is around closing time, and it's often best to go under cover of darkness just as a precaution. Take some cloth bags, fill them up quickly and move on. For more information about freeganism have a look at Freegan Info and Fareshare. Are you green-fingered? Once you cover the set-up costs of owning a plot of land or growing in your own garden, there is great personal and monetary satisfaction in growing your own fruit and vegetables. With fruit trees you are growing for the future - good harvests can save you hundreds of pounds. You can re-use the seeds from vegetables like potatoes and pumpkins, and harvest other seeds from friends' patches. From a tomato plant on the balcony to a herb garden on your windowsill, savings can be immense. Also, swap seeds and cuttings with friends to get even more free plants to eat from. Swap with friends. Have a clear-out of your kitchen cupboards. Gather up tins and packets you don't want and swap them for tins and packets that your friends don't want. If you've got several gardening friends, try a harvest produce swap in the summer. Many gardeners have something that produces more than they need so why not bring your surplus and swap for what you didn't grow?

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How to Get Free Food

Esa

Discovery in Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave

On a cool March Friday in 1972, John Wallace checked out his four seat airplane at the Charlie Brown Airport in Atlanta for a flight to Tennessee. The plan was for John's wife Youlanda, and their children Paul and Erika along with Art Smith, and Jack Pace to drive up to the Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville, Tennessee and rent a cabin for the weekend. My wife Kathy, our six-year-old daughter, Deanna and I would fly with John to the Crossville Memorial Airport in Crossville and we would spend a day of caving the next day.

caveman costume

We would alternate driving and flying in order to have transportation from the airport to the caves we visited in the southeast. Half of the group would fly and the other half would drive. This trip was quite a nice one along the interstate and then we followed the state road into Crossville. It was after dark when we arrived and the airport's lights were not on. The airport is on top of a mountain and we were a little nervous about finding a place to land. John's wife was there but could not contact anyone at the airport. John at last managed to radio someone and they turned on the lights.

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It was a large cabin at the park and we settled in for a good night of rest before the trip the next day. We planned to visit Devils Sink Hole with the family and then the four of us would explore Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave on the other side of the mountain. Kathy and Deanna spent a lovely day hiking around the park while we went caving.

A few miles southeast of Crossville is located Grassy Cove, A depression between two mountains that by all rights should be a big natural lake. The rain water that falls in the cove runs north into a cave, then emerges at the Devils Sink Hole, south of the cove and over the mountain. This long mountain contains many caves and a major stream that flow completely under it. Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave is well known for being a dusty cave and dust masks are handy to avoid histoplasmosis, a lung disease common in dusty caves and chicken houses. I did come down with a light case of this later and it could very well have been from this cave. The doctor wanted to know if I had been around any chicken houses.

We entered the cave and debated about exploring the west dry passages or to venture down the waterfall at the east end of the cave. There were reported to be more caves below the water fall. However, ropes would be required and we were not prepared for that. The water fall room sounded too good to pass up so we opted for going down through the chasm and to the water fall.

The Chasm is a short drop that can be climbed if you chimney out to a narrow portion of the drop. We however chose to use the rope for the drop. We continued down to the waterfall room and poked around looking for any easy lead to continue on. John was checking behind a large rock on the north side of the passage when he noticed air blowing from the rocks. We all got excited and started helping with the easy dig.

In less than an hour we had a small hole that looked to open up below. I was elected to give it a try, I am not sure why I was first but I was grateful. I went feet first into the hole removing my hard hat in order to squeeze through. At the bottom there was a low craw that went to the northeast for about 50 feet and then a ledge with a short drop of about 5 feet into a large room sloping downward. I study the floor and could not make out any tracks. I sat there yelling encouragement to the others to come on down. We had found something big.

I felt like Neil Armstrong on the moon when I made that first step on the floor below and left that first foot print where no one had ever stepped before. The mud had a black coating on top and when you raised your foot it left a very clear orange print about 1 inch deep. It felt strange to walk down into that huge room and then look back at the lonely set of foot prints that would soon turn into a well-worn path.

We explored the new extension for the rest of the day finding formations along the west wall and Crystal Gypsum Flowers covering the floor as the ceiling became lower near the end. We crawled through some breakdown into a much smaller room at the end and could find no way to continue.

We were all very excited about our new find and planed to return to map this new section the following month. Unknown to us another caving group had just undertaken a major re-mapping of the cave and were in the process of publishing their map. When Jack Pace moved to Nashville and told the caving group there about the discovery, they quickly returned to the cave and called it the Nashville Extension.

We returned on Saturday, April 22, 1972 with the additional assistance of my wife's cousin, Bill Meier, and mapped the March 18th Discovery. I was working for Eastman Kodak Co. At the time and had access to the latest home movie cameras. I was trying out a new model with very low light capability for taking movies in the cave. We used a Coleman Lantern for the light source and the shutter speed set slow to capture as much light as possible. These short movies can be viewed on my caving web site.

Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave now ranks eleventh in the state of Tennessee for the longest cave. I would like to thank that we made it a little easier for future cavers to discover the miles of cave that followed in this great cave.

1 Blue Spring Cave 33 miles

2 Cumberland Caverns 27 miles

3 Xanadu Cave System 23 miles

4 Rumbling falls Cave 15 miles

5 Nunley Mountain Cave System 15 miles

6 Big Bone Cave 15 miles

7 Snail Shell Cave System 9 miles

8 Rice Cave 9 miles

9 Cuyler Cave 8 miles

10 Dunbar Cave 8 miles

11 Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave 8 miles

12 Wolf River 7 miles

13 Haws Spring Cave 7 miles

14 Zarathustra 7 miles

15 Camps Gulf Cave 6 miles

This was the first major discovery that I was involved with and I have been more excited about caving than ever and the challenge of not only exploring but documenting caves with maps, pictures, movies, and articles.

Discovery in Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave

Cave

Mammoth Cave: One of the Most Beautiful in Our National Park System

Directly south of Louisville, just off Interstate 65 and not far from Cave City, Mammoth Cave National Park sits nestled in the rolling, wooded hills of west-central Kentucky. Cedar trees dominate the landscape around the park, broken only by grazing cattle, small tobacco fields, and immense limestone outcroppings.

cave story

Limestone is what makes this area special--a 600-foot thick slab of the stuff. Looking at the many road-cuts along the highway, one can see the layers, each possessing its own characteristics and each named after the location where these characteristics were identified: St. Genevieve, St. Louis, Paoli, Aux Vases, Karnak. Each layer is incredibly older than its sibling just above. And limestone is where Kentucky caves are formed.

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Once inside the park, the scenery changes from touristy to natural beauty. Well-groomed roads with wide, grassy shoulders wind through deep forest. Whitetail deer browse the edges of ancient cemeteries and wild turkey are everywhere. Mammoth Cave is one of the most beautiful in our national park system. Sprawling over more than 52,000 acres (most of it dense hardwood forest) the park features a diverse community of plants and wildlife; from the smallest insects, to birds, to aquatic life, to cave life. It is home to dozens of endangered or threatened species.

In spite of hosting two million visitors a year, the roads through Mammoth Cave National Park are surprisingly free of traffic. But near the visitor center, there is a constant bustle of activity, where campers, picnickers, and cave tourists crowd through the visitor center and ticket office. Every few minutes, loudspeakers announce the beginning of the next tour and groups of strangers form lines to become fellow travelers through a section of the cave.

During the summer, the park offers tours into several different entrances and family groups huddle around descriptive signs planning this portion of their summer vacation. The most popular is the Historic Tour. Starting every 40 minutes, over a hundred people herd through the historic section of the cave. The Lantern Tour, Frozen Niagara, and Half-Day tours are sold out every day throughout the tourist season. Occasionally the park gives tours into Great Onyx Cave, but those arriving too late in the day, or those that choose not to go on a guided tour can opt for the Discovery tour -- a self guided walk through the historic section near the entrance.

Of the hundreds of caves that pock the hills and valleys of the park, many are worthy of the tourist dollar. Crystal Cave, Colossal, Bedquilt, Lee, White, and others--now, all gated. The park no longer shows these caves. And when hiking the 73 miles of surface trails in the park, one must be mindful to stay on the established trails. Poking around in one of the little caves along the way is strictly forbidden. There are plenty of tours to keep even the most adventurous of tourists busy.

Of all the parks protected by our national park system, Mammoth Cave is certainly one of the most beautiful and one of the most popular. A great vacation destination.

Mammoth Cave: One of the Most Beautiful in Our National Park System

Cave

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Battle of Badr - 313

The first battle of Islam is called the Battle of Badr. It took place in the month of Ramadan in 2 AH, with the Holy Prophet (saw) and the Believers on one side and the Pagans of Makkah on the other. On the Muslim side the "army" consisted of 313 ill-equipped, tired and hungry Believers. The accounts mention that there were only 2 horses and 70 camels. As for weaponry, some had swords but no bows and arrows, others had spears but no swords and as for the protective armour, it was almost non-existent. If they came well-equipped with anything then it was the light of imaan. The Mushrikeen of Makkah on the other hand consisted of an army 1000+ strong, armed to the teeth, well fed and well supplied with the necessities of war. They came mounted on 100 horses and large numbers of camels, puffed up with pride and arrogance and confident of their assured victory.

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The Battle of Badr was the most decisive battle in the history of Islam. It was the first battle where truth and falsehood met in open combat. All worldly advantages and benefits lay in the camp of the Pagans, and the only true and firm weapon of the Believers was their unwavering belief in ALLAH Ta'ala and His Rasul (saw). To get a flavour of what the atmosphere was like look at the du'a of the Prophet (saw):

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"O Allah! Should this group (of Muslims) be defeated today, You will no longer be worshipped."

The Holy Prophet (saw) made sincere du'a to ALLAH and humbled Himself and wept when supplicating. Seeing this condition of the Prophet, Sayyidina Abu Bakr came and stated:

"O Prophet of Allah! You have cried out enough to your Lord. He will surely fulfill what He has promised you." (Bukhari, Nasaa'i)

And indeed, ALLAH Ta'ala fulfilled His Promise and assisted the Believers at Badr and gave them victory over falsehood. Infact the response of Rahmaan Ta'ala to the du'a of His Beloved (saw) was swift and immediate.

"(Remember) when you sought help of your Lord and He answered you saying, 'I will help you with a thousand Angels each behind the other in succession." (Suratul Anfaal)

SubhanALLAH!

The importance of the Battle of Badr cannot be overstated. It was a key point in the history of Islam and a sign of things to come. ALLAH Ta'ala preserved the honour, life and wealth of the Believers and humiliated the enemies of truth. The participants of Badr on the pagan side were shamed in the eyes of all with many of their top leadership lying dead on the field of battle. Conversely, amongst the galaxy of Sahaabah - the ones considered most virtuous were the participants of Badr and it is said, that amongst the angels too, the ones considered most virtuous are those who descended in assistance at Badr.

Those 313 are the best from amongst us and the most beloved.

The Battle of Badr - 313

Ala

French Government

Conventional long form: French Republic

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conventional short form: France

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local long form: République Française

local short form: France

Government type: republic

Capital: Paris

Administrative divisions: 22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes.

note: metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon).

Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna.

note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica.

Independence: 486 (unified by Clovis)

National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992, Amsterdam Treaty in 1996, Treaty of Nice in 2000; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993.

Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts.

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal.

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (changed from seven-year term in 2001); election last held 21 April and 5 May 2002 (next to be held, first round NA April 2007, second round NA May 2007); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed by the president.

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a single-member majoritarian system to serve five-year terms).

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation, judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary; Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel, three members appointed by the president, three members appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the Senate; Council of State or Conseil d'Etat.

Political parties and leaders: Citizens Movement or MdC [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; Communist, Republican, and Citizen or CRC (mainly PCF) [leader NA]; Democratic and European Social Rally or RDES (mainly RAD and PRG) [leader NA]; French Communist Party or PCF [Robert HUE]; Generation Ecology [Brice LALONDE]; Independent Ecological Movement or MEI [Antoine WAECHTER]; Left Radical Party or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Liberal-Christian Right [Charles MILLON]; Liberal Democracy or DL (originally Republican Party or PR) [Alain MADELIN]; Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; Movement of Reformers [Jean-Pierre SOISSON]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; National Republican Movement [Bruno MEGRET]; Popular Party for French Democracy or PPDF [Herve DE CHARETTE]; Radical Party or RP [Francois LOOS]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michelle ALLIOT-MARIE]; Republicans and Independents or RI (mainly DL) [leader NA]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois HOLLANDE]; The Greens [Dominique VOYNET]; Union for French Democracy or UDF (coalition of DL, CDS, UDF, RP, and other parties) [Francois BAYROU]; Union for the
Presidential Majority or UMP (includes RPR, DL, some UDF, and RPF) [Alain JUPPE]; Union of the Center or UDC [leader NA].

Political pressure groups and leaders: Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); independent labor union or Force Ouvriere, 1 million members (est.); independent white-collar union or Confederation Generale des Cadres, 340,000 members (claimed); Movement of French Enterprises (Mouvement des entrprises de France) or MEDEF; note - name used to be National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais) or CNPF or Patronat; Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, about 800,000 members (est.).

International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC.

French Government

Esa

What is An Essboard?

We have all heard about the Ripstik Caster Board, but did you know that there are other versions of caster board available as well. Another caster board that you can purchase either through your local skateboard retailer or online is the Essboard. As with the Ripstik this one comes with 2 caster wheels (one on the front platform and one attached to the rear platform).

esata

This board originates from Korea and is similar in many ways to the wave board which originates from California and the Exboard which originates from the UK. But as with all these boards in order to get them moving you need to be able to twist your hips in a certain way whilst still remaining your balance on the two platforms of the board which work independently of each other.

Esa

Certainly the biggest advantage to be gained by the rider when using any of these particular boards is that you do not need to place a foot on the pavement to push off and provide you with the momentum that you would normally need to do when riding a skateboard. However there are certain disadvantages and advantages to be gained from using one of these boards compared to the more traditional skateboard.

The advantages of using these boards are as follows:-

1. They are extremely easy to ride and although initially you may find the way of riding them a little odd as you get more skilled you find it much easier. Plus learning to ride one of the boards takes a lot less time than learning how to ride a traditional skateboard does.

2. As the board is propelled using the riders body by twisting it in a certain way at no stage will they need to place their feet on the ground to provide them with the momentum that they need. Plus it provides them with a way of getting up hills much more quickly and effectively.

3. The actual ride on these boards is much smoother and it feels more natural, it almost feels as if the person is riding waves along the pavement.

However certainly the advantages of using any kind of caster board are numerous but there are some disadvantages as well.

1. After a while in the beginning the person riding the board may find it extremely tiring especially if they are using parts of their body that they have not used for a long time before.

2. Although these boards can literally turn on the dime actually stopping them especially in the beginning when first learning to ride them can be extremely difficult.

However if you are someone who is not being put off by the disadvantages associated with riding a caster board such as the Essboard or Ripstik then you may want to consider investing in one. Certainly if you are looking for a way to improve both your skateboarding or snowboarding techniques then this may be the right kind of board for you.

What is An Essboard?

Esa

What is Stock Investment?

Knowledge of what is a stock market and why you should invest in it is essential for every budding entrepreneur in this area. But before that, one must understand the meaning of investment and its importance in the context of stock market.

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What is investment?

Esa

Investment, simply put, is a process of purchasing assets in order to make profits. A profit is usually a reasonable and predictable amount of income over investment. It is unlike gambling, where you can make or lose huge amounts in matter of moments. The income from legitimate investment may come in forms of dividends, interest or rentals and appreciations over the long term.

Why should you invest?

Money does not grow by itself unless it is invested. Money should not just grow but it should also grow sufficiently to annul the effects of rising inflation. The rate of returns on your investments should be greater than the rate of rise in inflation so that you are left with sufficient amount to meet your needs over a period of time.

When you invest your money in stocks, your objective should be to create wealth not only for your daily needs, but also for retirement, marriage, education, vacations, entertainment, medical expenses, and purchasing real estate etc.

You may also aim at improving your standard of living or leave your money to your next generation. You may also want a little extra money to have some fun in your life that you have been planning.

Above all, making money by itself is an exciting morale booster. It increases self-confidence, self esteem and puts springs in your feet. Money is considered next to God, if there is one.

What is the optimum time to invest in stock market?

It is always better to try creating multiple streams of income including from stock markets. If you are already employed, start investing in stocks as a part time job.

Since it takes sufficient time and experience to master the intricacies of every trade, it is advisable to start investing in stocks as early as you become legal and get your social security and IRS identification numbers. An early bird is always a winner.

Start small and be cautious. Take your time to learn the fundamentals of stock investing. Another important reason why you should invest early is that your money will have sufficient time to grow.

There are several stock investment plans which are comparatively risk free and generate geometrical returns on your investment without creating needless tensions that are invariably associated with most businesses.

Money grows fast with compounding effect. Compounding, according to Einstein, is the eighth wonder of the world, but it requires time to show its effects. The more time it is given, the more money it returns on investment. So if you start investing in stock market as soon as you become a major, you give your investment the maximum possible time to grow.

Invest regularly

One reason why you should start investing early in stocks is that you can invest regularly over a long span of time. The concept of regularity is inherently related to a longer span of time. You cannot be a regular investor for just six months and expect any appreciable returns. Regularity can fructify only if it is practiced over a sufficiently long span of time-for decades. It is like physical exercise. You cannot build (financial) muscle just in a few days.

Consult your stock broker about which stock investment plan suits your individual circumstances. Set apart some amount-even a small amount-- from your monthly income and authorize your broker to automatically draw that amount from your bank account for investment in your decided plan. Just don't forget to check the results of your investment at least for an appreciable time. The returns may appear measly at the earlier stage, but you will be blown off if you check them after some time.

The golden rule, therefore, is that you should invest regularly over a long period of time. There are several stock investment plans such as Individual Retirement Account-IRA-- Roth IRA, Education Saving Account-ESA, 401(K), 403(b) etc.

Knowledge is power

Study the various stock investment options in deep detail. Consult your broker. Read books and magazines, both online and offline, so that you can take fool proof and self-informed decisions. As you study and act more, you will evolve an impeccable intuition about the areas and suitable time for investment.

What is Stock Investment?

Esa

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Enter The Magical World Of Lalaloopsy Online Gaming

Each Lalaloopsy doll in the online virtual world at lalaloopsy.com has a house that can be entered and in which you can play a game themed to the particular Lalaloopsy doll in question. These are incredibly fun little mini games for children to play that can occupy them for hours in a safe and engaging online environment.

alarm system

Pillow Featherbed's game is called Sleepy Sheep. In this game, the child must watch as a number of different objects float through Pillow's mind as she's trying to sleep. The child must click only on the sheep, and has a set amount of time to click on ten of them for each level.

Ala

Crumbs Sugar Cookie's game is called Recipe Race. In this game, three conveyor belts of recipe ingredients are set in motion and the child must activate mechanical pushers that take the items that are needed off the belt and into bins so that Crumbs Sugar Cookie can use them to make cookies.

Peanut Big Top's game is called Joyful Juggling. In this game, colored arrows are scrolled up the screen and children must select the proper ones as they pass in order to allow Peanut to continue juggling her balls.

Dot Starlight's game is called Space Surprise. In this game, the child controls a space ship in 3 dimensions, and must pilot this ship through a course of loops, not missing too many, in order to complete the task successfully.

Spot Splatter Splash's game is called Paint Park. In this game, the child must navigate a hedge maze in order to find all the objects that are missing their color, and then paint them within a certain amount of time allocated.

Bea Spells-a-lot's game is called School Supply Search. In this game, the child plays a cute little old fashioned platform game in which she helps Bea's pet owl find all of the school supplies and deliver them to Bea.

Mittens Fluff 'n' Stuff's game is called Speedy Ski. In this game, the child must guide Mittens down a snowy mountain and get her to ski into colorful buttons placed around the slope. A certain number of buttons must be collected each round.

Jewel Sparkles' game is called Jewel Jubilee. In this game, a child must control a paddle moving from side to side as a ball bounces off the walls, ceiling, and a group of suspended jewels. The ball must not fall to the floor, so it's vital that the paddle be moved to bounce the ball back into play constantly. The jewels are collected and removed from play once the ball hits them, and a new level is generated when all the jewels have been collected.

There's also a fun boat ride that can be accessed from docks throughout town. Children can use the boat to travel the river to different parts of town faster.

Lalaloopsy land online play is a fun and entertaining way for your child to interact with her imagination and engage in fun Lalaloopsy related activities.

Enter The Magical World Of Lalaloopsy Online Gaming

Ala

My Favorite Cave, Pettyjohn Cave

I could write many stories about Pettyjohn Cave, however I would like to explain here why this great cave is my favorite. For a Horizontal caver like myself, Pettyjohn has plenty to offer. Good climbs, challenging passages, waterfalls, formations, intriguing passages, extreme hard to reach places most of which I have not seen, possibilities for new discoveries and good mud.

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Good Climbs

Cave

For some looking for climbing challenges, the entrance room has plenty to offer. This long room over 500 feet long and averaging 50 feet wide and 30 feet high ceilings, has two easy climbs just to reach the back. Near the entrance there is a good climb up into an upper formation room that connects to the main entrance room at the ceiling level. Most visitors rush pass this area to get to the back of the room or to head off to the main waterfall.

To reach the stream levels there are challenging climbs if you avoid the ropes left there by previous cavers. Some of these ropes have been in place for a long time and should not be used. One especially challenging climb is getting up into the Racoon Room, this large room in the mid level of the cave gives access to most of the middle levels of the cave. Pettyjohn Cave is divided up into three levels, the entrance room which is high and mostly dry, the middle levels which are dry passages making up about 1/3 of the known cave and reaching under the mountain to the north. A difficult climb from this northern section is up into the Echo Room, the largest room in the cave. A 100 by 200 foot room with high ceilings. And the lower stream passages which make up the largest portions of the cave.

The waterfall climb leads to a second waterfall that is much easer to climb and an up stream passage called Schreiber's Extension that is yet to be completely explored.

Challenging Passages

From the main entrance room there are many ways to go deeper into the cave and at the start of each of these passages you will have a challenge. The Pancake squeeze on the way to the waterfall, some tight squeezes or hard climbs, depending on which route you choose, to get to the Volcano Room. Each route from the Main room is like a cave of its own. If you like maze's try The Labyrinth in the southeast lower level of Pettyjohn. If you are looking for real adventure, explore the extreme northwest section called The Outer Limits. And for a good technical climb, explore the rooms above the Double Echo Domes.

Waterfalls

If you like underground waterfalls, you will love Pettyjohn Cave. There are two good size waterfalls on the way to Schreiber's Extension. A loud waterfall about 4 feet high just beyond the Chute and on the way to the Outer Limits. And another one that you have to climb over to enter the Labyrinth.

Formations

Formations are scattered through the cave. The Entrance Room contains the largest in the cave. The Signature Room and the passage to it are well worth seeing for the formations. And there is a beautiful formation room just before you get to the Volcano Room. Other nice formations will surprise you along the routes to the many sections of the cave.

Intriguing Passages

The Worm Tube is a long 150 feet crawl that is very tight and leads to the Echo Room and beyond. The Z-Bends is an interesting alternative to the Pancake Squeeze when going to the waterfall or the Racoon Room. There is a down sloping squeeze that is a real challenge to climb back up when you visit the East Stream passage and Crowell Domes. The small hole leading from the Bridge Room to the Mason-Dixon Passage is neat. And the stream canyon passage on the way to the waterfall is fun.

Extreme Places

The extreme places are for the hard core cavers that like fourteen hour trips and want to be pushed to their limits. Pettyjohn Cave offers four such areas. The Labyrinth, which I have only visited the start of.

The Discovery Room above the Emerald Pool that you have to use the old existing rope or do a hard technical climb. An extension pole was first used to reach this area. And I understand that there is much to be discovered beyond the Emerald Pool.

The Outer Limits which I am not even sure at what level you reach. I have explored the stream passage to tight muddy squeezes that finally turned me back and high dry passages that could also be the way. These were ten hour trips and I still had not found the Outer Limits. I meet Richard Schreiber once when I was leaving the cave and he was excited about getting back under the mountain and I believe that he was referring to the Outer Limits. I have a copy of most of his survey notes but I think that I am missing one that describes how to get there.

Schreiber's Extension is a long stream passage with many leads and places to climb up into along the way. The end is a low stream passage which has been dug out and pushed to a second low room blocked by another low stream crawl. This passage continues around the edge of the mountain and takes in water from along the mountain side. The cave is still lower than the valley but under the edge of the mountain.

Possibilities for New Discoveries

The most promising area that I feel could be developed is to the East. There are many sink holes along the mountain east of the entrance and Crowell Domes is the most eastern portion of the cave with the exception of the Labyrinth and Screech Owl Cave. There is a possible lead from the Echo Room that I would like to push some day, but it would require some rock removal. There is also a large sink on the top of the mountain east of Pettyjohn that the water has I believe been traced to the sump below the Entrance Room in Pettyjohn. Pettyjohn provides drainage for most of this side of Pigeon Mountain until you get to Ellison Cave which drains the north end of the mountain. Recent discoveries have been made in Schreiber's Extension, Discovery Room, and the Anamatosis Room. I have 36,117 feet of level survey plotted, almost seven miles (6.935 Miles) and a total survey length of 7.127 Miles.

Good Mud

Pettyjohn Cave is known for its mud. There are some places that you will loose your shoes in the sticky stuff. Crawl ways that you just slide through in the mud with two slots for your knees from all the traffic. I have seen the lower level flood with the water backing up from the stream canyon passage which is narrow and can restrict the water flow. Always check out the weather forecast before going to the main waterfall. You can read about cavers getting lost in the waterfall area for days and explore parts of the cave by clicking on pictures within the cave by visiting my web page. I also have other links to stories about Pettyjohn on the main page.

My Favorite Cave, Pettyjohn Cave

Cave

Cave Exploring is an Extreme Sport That Can Take You to Hell and Back

When it comes to extreme sports most people think about rock climbing, base jumping, high-speed motorcycle racing, jet boat racing, aircraft aerobatics competitions, or skateboarders as they're flying up in the air off 60 foot ramps during the X-games. Most people do not think of Cave exploring as an extreme sport. But I can tell you one thing, the terrain is very extreme and it is similar to mountain climbing, rock climbing, or ice climbing. It takes someone who is rugged, agile, and fearless, with emphasis on the fearless.

cave story

The thrill of the unknown is what cave exploring is known for. Cave exploring is definitely an extreme sport that can take you to Hell and back in the same day. And if you think it is easy climbing around in pitch black caves with only artificial lighting, think again. There are all kinds of things down there in those caves and it is pretty easy to get lost because everything looks different when you're going the other way.

Cave

This is why cave explorers must leave markers as they go. It also makes sense when leaving the marker to look back and light up where you've been. This will help your visual memory get a sense of how to get out once you're done exploring. Some people like to go Cave-Exploring by themselves, but this is very bad advice in case one gets hurt. Incidentally, not all caves go exactly horizontal, as there are vertical shafts, cliffs, and even underground water at a chilling temp. Please consider all this.

Cave Exploring is an Extreme Sport That Can Take You to Hell and Back

Cave

The Big House in Erie (1973) a Poem (In Spanish and English: NOW!)

I was invited to my boss' house

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I was young so young back then,

Esa

Perhaps twenty-five; l lived in Erie,

Pennsylvania, 1973

I hung around with his nephews

And when I saw his big house, it

Somewhat startled me: made of:

Red-brick, smoothly mortared

In-between: a few chimneys on

Each side of the house, Victorian;

It was a big, a huge house--windows

Everywhere: all around, up, down;

To a poor kid like me, my eyes

Were mortified, they were shaken:

(Hands fidgeting, legs weakening)--

I had to catch my breath.

When I walked inside, my boss was

Surprise, yet greeted me well, cheerful

I think he noticed I felt a bit

Uncomfortable (I was brought up

In an extended family where two bedrooms

Fitted four families); so, I smiled the best

I could, looking about the house

It was to me: Buckingham Palace.

When I was fifty-five

Years old, yes, a quarter century plus, had

Passed, I owned several big houses, one

Bigger than his;

And never did I once forget that big house,

In Erie.

Note from the Author: While locked out of my house today, sitting in my car, in my garage, having two hours to throw to the wind until I have to pick up my wife, this big old house in Erie come to mind ((9:10 PM)) 2/23/2006. #1244

IN SPANISH

Translated by: Nancy Peñaloza

La casa grande en Erie (1973)

Me invitaron a la casa de mi jefe

Entonces yo era muy joven,

Quizás veinticinco; yo vivía en Erie,

Pensilvania, 1973

Deje pasar el tiempo con sus sobrinos

Y cuando vi su gran casa, esto

Un tanto me asustó: hecho de:

Ladrillo-Rojo, suavemente enfoscado

Entre: algunas chimeneas en

Cada lado de la casa, Victoriana;

Esta era una grande, una enorme casa-ventanas

Por todas partes: todo alrededor, arriba, abajo;

Para un pobre muchacho como yo, mis ojos

Estaban avergonzados, ellos fueron sacudidos:

(Manos moviéndose nerviosamente, piernas debilitadas) -

Tuve que coger mi respiración.

Cuando caminé adentro, mi jefe estaba

Sorprendido, sin embargo me saludó bien, alegre

Pienso que él notó que me sentía un poquito

Incómodo (yo fui educado

En una familia amplia donde dos dormitorios

Empotraban cuatro familias); Así pues, Sonreí lo mejor

Que pude, mirando la casa

Esto era para mí: el Palacio De Buckingham.

Cuando yo tuve cincuenta y cinco

Años de edad, sí, un cuarto de siglo más, había

Pasado, yo fui dueño de varias casas enormes, uno

Más grande que el de él;

Y nunca jamás olvidé esa casa grande,

En Erie.

Nota del autor: Mientras encerrado fuera de mi casa hoy, sentado en mi coche, en mi garaje, teniendo dos horas para lanzar al viento hasta que tenga que recoger a mi esposa, esta vieja casa grande en Erie viene a mi mente ((9:10 PM.)) de 2/23/2006.
#1244

The Big House in Erie (1973) a Poem (In Spanish and English: NOW!)

Esa

Cafe World Domination - Where Cafe Points Fit Into Cafe World

If you're playing Cafe World, you may well have heard of Cafe Points. Do you know what they are and what they do for you? Don't feel bad if you don't. Until recently, I didn't either.

cave story 3d

Cafe Points are what the game uses to keep track of your progress toward the next level. In other words, they're like your score. The game shows you your Cafe Points in the top center of the screen, so you always have a good idea where you stand.

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As you gain more points, you gradually move up to higher levels in the game. Higher levels means more options: more food choices and more things you can do to your cafe. Clearly, the more points you earn, and the faster you earn them, the better.

Now you're probably wondering how to get more points right? There are a few ways to do it. The first is simply to prepare food. Each menu item earns you a certain number of points for each stage of its preparation. Cooking a dish gets you some Cafe Points. Serving it gets you some more. Cleaning up afterwards gets you the rest. In general, the longer a dish takes to cook, the more points it earns you once you've prepared it, served it, and cleaned it up afterwards.

There is one other thing you can do to earn points. You can visit the cafes of your neighbors. Helping your neighbors out buy visiting their cafe and trying their daily special earns you points.

Cafe World Domination - Where Cafe Points Fit Into Cafe World

Cave

Friday, October 21, 2011

How to Decorate Your Man Cave With Sports Art

Finally won out and have secured your spot in the house for your very own man cave? Surprising your spouse with a man cave of his own? Decorating a man cave is one of the most enjoyable rooms to decorate! There are no rules and nobody has to appreciate the place except the owner of the man cave!

cavenders seasoning

Setting the Place Up

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Hopefully you are able to put your large screen TV there to keep up with all your favorite teams. You have 'your' chair, you know the one everybody knows is 'yours' and would never dare to take over while you are making a pit stop. Next you need some comfy seating for your man cave friends to lounge in with you. Go with something durable that can take the occasional spills from beverage or food. Add some games to play for the days when it is just too painful to watch the rest of a disappointing game on the big screen is always a nice addition. A pool table if you can manage it, darts, and throw in some Nerf games for nostalgic sake.

Your Walls Need Something

They need sports art. Nothing says man cave like a nice collection of sports art on the walls. Conversation pieces that show your loyalty and respect for sports greats throughout the history of your favorite team. Not only will sports art add to the ambiance of your sports room but some are a nice little investment as well! Autographed fine art by an athlete and/or artist often has a great resale value on the secondary market.

Collecting Sports Art

Collecting sports art has become quite lucrative for some people. An autographed litho or fine art giclee that portrays the athlete in his/her finest hour can become a great collectible or heirloom to pass on. Today fine art is not limited to costly originals or only signed and numbered litho's, you can also purchase some beautiful giclee's on paper or canvas. Giclee's are a different method of printing than traditional lithographs and often the canvas reproduction or giclee looks like the original painting especially if it has been enhanced by the artist.

You could decorate your room as many greats such as Reggie White, George Brett, Robin Yount, Walter Payton and many others have with an Andrew Goralski giclee, print or original. Many of the athletes Goralski has painted has ended up hanging on the walls of the athletes themselves! A fine edition to any man cave or sports art collection would be his new piece titled "From Leather to Legendary". This new piece by Goralski illustrates bygone days of football with Curly Lambeau's Acme Packers in their leatherhead helmets and the newly renovated Lambeau Field rising out of the mist. A great piece for both serious sports art collector or a piece of nostalgia for your man cave! See coleengoralski.com to find out if this beautiful piece of sports art fits in with your decorating scheme.

How to Decorate Your Man Cave With Sports Art

Cave

How to Kill Hexlord Malacrass - World of Warcraft

Required Raid Composition: 2 tanks, 3-4 healers, 5-6 DPS. Your second tank can be a DPS tank.

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Malacrass's Boss Abilities are as follows:

Ala

Spirit Bolts: Malacrass will periodically shoot Spirit Bolts at the entire raid. Each Spirit Bolt does 450 points of shadow damage. When he uses this ability, he will shoot twenty Spirit Bolts at each raid member over a period of ten seconds. Line of sight will not hinder the Spirit Bolts. Dampen or Amplifiy Magic will not have any effect on the spell. The Spirit Bolts can be resisted.

Soul Drain: Malacrass will randomly target one player and perform Soul Drain. When this occurs, Malacrass will acquire several abilities from the player and begin using them. He will use these abilities against the raid until the next Soul Drain when he acquires new abilities from the next player. Some of the abilities he may use from various classes are as follows:

Druid - Lifebloom, Thorns, Moonfire

Mage - Frost Nova, Fireball, Frost Bolt

Rogue - Slice and Dice, Blind, Wound Poison

Warlock - Unstable Affliction, Rain of Fire, Curse of Doom

Shaman - Fire Nova Totem, Healing Wave, Chain Lightning

Priest - Heal, Mind Control, Psychic Scream

Hunter - Various traps

Warrior - Spell Reflection, Mortal Strike, Whirlwind

Paladin - Avenging Wrath, Consecration, Holy Light

Drain Power - At one minute intervals Malacross will drain 1% power from raid members and give it to himself, thereby increasing his size and damage. He will not begin to use this ability until his health reaches 80%.

Adds: Malacrass has four random mobs with him. Below is a list of mob types along with their antidote in parentheses:

Thurg - Melee Ogre (Polymorph)

Gazakroth - Imp that spams fireballs at random targets (Banish)

Lord Raadan - Dragonkin with Thundercap and flame breath (Sleep)

Darkheart - Undead wraith with instant-cast AOE fear (Shackle)

Alyson Antille - Healer (Polymorph)

Slither - Serpent that casts Poison bolts (Sleep)

Fenstalker - Elemental that will cast Volatile Infection on random players (Banish)

Koragg - Melee Undead (Shackle)

Basic Strategy: Similar to Moroes in Karazhan, you will need to kill at least 1 add before you should focus all DPS on Malacrass. It is advisable to kill the healers first for two reasons: they heal and because they die quicker. If you are going to leave adds up, it's best to leave the ones alive that are the most time-consuming to kill.

If you are going to chain shackle, your Priests should setup a macro to /target and /cast shackle undead. This will help them immensely as they can focus healing on the tank, cast two or three heals and then one-click their shackle macro. They should never wait for a shackle to break before they recast Shackle. Any other class who is asked to perform Crowd Control should follow this advice.

Depending on which character class Malacrass performs Soul Drain on, you will want to be conscious of the following:

Hunter - Malacrass will drop traps which are clearly visible to the raid. Your tank must be aware of the traps when they appear and immediately move Malacrass to a new position. Freeze traps will freeze multiple targets.

Mage - He will randomly cast Fireballs and Frostbolts. They can be interrupted.

Paladin - Consecreate will hit for 2,500. Tank and melee DPS should move out of range as quick as possible. You will need to dispel Avenging Wrath immediately should it be used. Interrupt Holy Light whenever he attempts to cast it.

Priest - Dispel the Mind Controls or CC them. Interrupt any heals he attempts to cast.

Rogue - You will need to increase healing due to the attack speed increase from Slice and Dice. Blind cannot be avoided and is mostly a non-issue.

Shaman - Kill any Fire Nova Totems ASAP. Interrupt his Chain Lightning and Healing Wave whenever he attempts to cast either spell.

Druid - Melee DPS should stop attacking because of Thorns. Dispel Lifebloom.

Warlock - Decurse Curse of Doom. Rain of Fire will tick for 3,000+ points of damage so players will need to move away from its area of effect as soon as they see it.

Warrior - Healers need to be ready to spam heals if the tank gets hit with Mortal Strike. Casters should watch out for Spell Reflect. Melee DPS will need to be cautious of Whirlwind as it hits for 7,500+ points of damage.

How to Kill Hexlord Malacrass - World of Warcraft

Ala

Alpha Lipoic Acid - Fountain of Youth, Fountain of Health

Alpha Lipoic Acid has been available commercially for about 10 years and is slowly creeping into the consciousness of the general public. Based on scientific studies published over the past year, this little-known antioxidant may well turn out to be society's answer to the woes of aging and poor health. These studies have revealed a host of dramatic health benefits and have demonstrated that ALA has the potential to improve physical health, mental health and, perhaps most exciting, literally slow down the process of aging.

alarm system

In terms of mental health, a 2007 study published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (with researchers from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, University of Toronto, University of California-Berkeley, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute and Juvenon) concluded that ALA, taken as a nutritional supplement, improved the memory, the ability to learn, and the cognitive function of geriatric dogs.

Ala

The key to the improvement seen in these areas is ALA's effect on mitochondria. Known as the "cell's power plant," mitochondria supply most of a cell's energy, however growing research suggests it may be among the first cellular components to be damaged by oxidation and free radicals. Alpha Lipoic Acid, in combination with Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC), has the unique ability to step in and actually slow down mitochondrial decay.

Evidence of the positive effects of ALA was seen after 15 weeks of training older dogs, supplemented by the two antioxidants, to find a food treat by visually identifying a particular marker. 80 percent of dogs taking the supplement were able to find the hidden food whereas only 50 percent of dogs not taking the supplement were successful. In this case, ALA improved object/spatial discernment in dogs, the decline of which in humans is a sign of dementia.

In terms of physical health, two studies have suggested major areas where Alpha Lipoic Acid, in combination with ALC, has the potential to prevent and reverse damage from chronic disease. A study conducted at the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia showed how ALA might mitigate the effects of Diabetes, and another study, conducted by scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute and College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University and the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington, showed improvement in the treatment of Atherosclerosis and obesity.

These studies showed that ALA, when taken regularly, helps normalize insulin signaling and glucose metabolism, in addition to resetting and normalizing the entire metabolic process, hence the potential for stabilizing and minimizing the effects of diabetes. The studies also showed that a steady diet of ALA can inhibit the formation of arterial lesions, lower triglycerides, and reduce blood vessel inflammation, all of which are vital to preventing cardiovascular disease.

Alpha Lipoic Acid has also been shown to inhibit weight gain through several actions. It suppresses the appetite while it stimulates both the metabolic rate and higher levels of physical activity. The proof lies in the mice given ALA supplements; they chose to eat less and run around more. Consequently they gained less weight than the control group given the same amount of food.

And finally, moving one step closer to that ever-elusive fountain of youth, a study conducted by scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University has shown that Alpha Lipoic Acid can literally slow down the process of aging. The study clarified that ALA restores levels of glutathione, a protective antioxidant and detoxification compound, to that of a young animal. A lower level of glutathione makes cells far more susceptible to free radicals and environmental toxins, and while scientists don't believe that ALA directly improves cellular function, they believe instead it simply "kick starts" declining function in cells. In a nutshell, Alpha Lipoic Acid is considered a "low-level stressor" that activates the body's basic cellular defenses that naturally decline with age.

Those who decide to take an Alpha Lipoic Acid supplement, or are already taking ALA, should be aware that it is a highly insoluble compound and hence poorly absorbed by the body in the powder form. More recently however, there are forms of ALA on the market that are already "solubilized," and therefore more efficiently and consistently absorbed, leading to higher ALA plasma levels. These findings are confirmed by studies conducted by KemTek Pharmaceuticals in rabbits and humans which showed that ALA plasma levels were two to three times higher with solubilized formulations versus several commercially available powder formulations. (ethicalalternativeproducts.com)

ALA is perhaps the magic bullet to not only a long lifespan, but more importantly, a great "healthspan," that is, the number of years of good health and freedom from degenerative disease one can expect. Alpha Lipoic Acid has myriad positive effects on the cellular level and it just may be the key to feeling great for years to come.

Alpha Lipoic Acid - Fountain of Youth, Fountain of Health

Ala

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Omega 3 EPA DHA ALA - Which Have a Reliable Source?

The omega 3 EPA DHA ALA is source of good oil, or I should say sources of omega 3. But can you rely on these sources? The DHA has the most potent among the three fatty acids. The EPA and the ALA can be converted to DHA. Sp what is then is most reliable? Among omega 3 EPA DHA ALA, if you were to choose, what would you choose?

alan wake

To those that are completely lost about these three fatty acids, you have to read carefully, until you finish the article. I am going to give you an overview about these confusing acronyms.

Ala

The omega 3 comes in three forms; the ALA which is taken from vegetable source and the DHA and EPA which are taken from fish oil. All of these are beneficial to our health. It can help alleviate memory gap among the elders, it fights against joint inflammation and it is good for a healthy heart.

ALA is natural oil found in vegetables and fruits. Basically the body doesn't need this nutrient. But is it important? It is important because it can be converted to DHA. In other words, without the process of conversion, it is nothing. But what if you do not have fish oil in your diet? Then ALA is important, to be utilized and converted to DHA, for a healthier you.

The sources of omega 3 EPA DHA ALA basically has one uses, all are products of oil called fatty acid, the essential oil. The uses may be the same but it differs mainly on conversion process. Unless there is conversion, fatty acid from plants may not be useful as we know it. This is how important that omega 3 EPA DHA ALA should stick together;

DHA is the potent and dominant source among the three, since it needs no conversion anymore, unlike with the two other fatty acids, where it can only be utilized by our body after the conversion process.

Fish oil is the main source of DHA and EPA, but even though, the need of ALA is important for added DHA. Fatty acids are important in many things related to health improvement; it is therefore recommended that you take it as daily supplement.

Do not be misguided about the three sources of omega 3 EPA DHA ALA. The best source there is the DHA, followed by EPA and the ALA which is then converted to DHA.

Omega 3 EPA DHA ALA - Which Have a Reliable Source?

Ala

How To Set Financial Goals - Part 1

They say the best things in life are free. I say that sometimes you have to work hard for what you really want. Many people are content to float through life, taking the path of least resistance. Others are out there cutting trails and making paths and going after what they want with incredible energy and focus. Sometimes there is no other way to accomplish your goals than to go for it with everything you've got. This is especially true when it comes to getting out of debt and securing your financial future. It will require patience, perseverance and knowledge. But, it can be done.

esata card

I believe it was Zig Ziglar who said "If you fail to aim, you'll hit your goal every time." Now, that's a loose translation from memory, but I think you get the point. One important aspect of achieving your desires is goal setting. Most people who succeed in life will tell you that an important key to success is setting goals.

Esa

When setting goals, you start with the end in mind and then work your way backward to where you are now. You determine what needs to happen at each step of the way in order to achieve the final goal, and then put a timeline to it. Finally, you break it down into baby steps that you can start to take immediately.

Are you setting goals or just day dreaming about your future?

Don't get me wrong, I think meditation and imaging what you want are important components of the goal-setting process. But, you have to create some definite goals and milestones in plan in order to distinguish a goal from idle dreaming.

Do you hope to get out of debt, or you do have a definite plan to be out of debt by a specific date by paying a specific amount toward your debts each month?

Do you want to buy a house someday or are you saving money now for your 20% down payment so that you can buy a house in January of 2013?

Do you hope you can eventually put your child through college, or are you saving money every month in an ESA fund so that your child's college education will be funded by the time she is 18?

Which scenario is an idle daydream, and which is a definite plan to achieve a specific goal? Which scenario do you think has a better chance for success?

How To Set Financial Goals - Part 1

Esa

Kina Malpartida Vs Halana Dos Santos, In - Championship Fight (In English and Spanish)

(A Barroom Sketch)

esata drive

June 20, 2009

Esa

Sitting in a bar in with my buddies in Lima, Peru watching the world woman's Boxing Championship bout for defense of the World Title Superfeather, between Kina Malpartida, of Peru (called the Champion of the Poor) and Halana Dos Santos of Brazil ... ...and

"I never saw a female boxer fight so hard to the styles of a man before, and with near the same strength, clean and swift and as beautiful as Mohammad Ali. There never was a woman like that. She moved just like a bull and tiger both in one, like Rocky Marciano, she was a little nervous at first though." Lee told his drinking buddy, Enrique.

"Do you know her?" one of the men asked sitting next to Enrique, in the bar.

"Did I know her? I know about her like you know about nobody in the world and I love boxing like you love the God of Wine (the man was drinking a glass of Trapiche, Malbec, 2008, red wine, from Argentina.) She is the greatest, finest, Peruvian, most stunning woman boxer that ever lived, and Halana couldn't put her down like a dog, as she thought she might."

"Did you go down and see the fight?" asked the stranger.

"No. I was right here, it just ended. She's the only female boxer worth her salt."

Lee tried to be respectful to the bald headed wino, who said all this in a high melodramatic way, but Enrique was starting to shake his head as the stranger leaned over by him.

"You should have married her," said the wino.

"It wouldn't have hurt her career," said Lee, to the bald headed wino, "but I'm already married."

"Well I guess that's a drawback, a husband isn't what she really needs anyhow," said the stranger.

"Gosh, what a fighter she was," repeated Lee.

"That is a fine way to look at it," commented Enrique, his brother-in-law, "Didn't Kina knock her out, it happened so fast I didn't get to see the end result?"

"A technical knockout is what they call it," said Lee, "she was in the corner, and it was curtains, had they not stopped the fight."

"It was a trick," said the wino, "the Peruvian took Halana by surprise."

"Kina knocked her down," said Lee.

"She turned to smile at me, and that got the Peruvian the knockout!" remarked the wino.

"I thought you said you weren't at the fight?" said Lee.

"No, you said you were not at the fight, I went out just for the fight."

"It was a great fight," remarked Enrique, then whispered to Lee, "I hope to god this creep leaves."

"How can you say that?" said the wino to Lee and Enrique.

"I say it because it's true," Enrique said. "I'm the only one here sitting next to you, leave us in peace."

"What did he say?" said the wino to Lee.

"He said you're a drunken wino, and he knows Kina and she's going to come here after the fight and knock the shit out of you for bothering her brother-in-law."

"It's a lie," the wino said.

"It's true," Enrique said, "That's truly what he said."

"It's a lie," the wino said proudly.

And just then, some woman next to the wino hauled off and hit the wino, and he fell on the floor, and she said, "And it doesn't make any difference to me whether you believe it or not, I'm the sister-in-law of Kina," and the drunk just smiled as he looked up at her, and said, "It could be possible."

Written one day after the fight, 6-21-2009
Inspired by, and dedicated to: Kina Malpartida.

Spanish Version

Kina vs. Halana en:
Campeonato de Boxeo

20 de Junio del 2009

Un Sketch

Sentado en un bar con mis amigos en Lima, Perú
viendo el campeonato de boxeo de mujeres por defensa del
Título Mundial Superpluma, entre
Kina Malpartida, de Perú (llamada la Campeona de los Pobres)
y Halana Dos Santos de Brasil...

"Nunca antes vi a una boxeadora pelear tan duro al estilo de un hombre, casi con la misma fortaleza, limpio, rápido y tan lindo como Muhamad Ali. Nunca hubo una mujer así, ella se movía como un toro y un tigre juntos, como Rocky Marciano; aunque ella estaba un poco nerviosa al comienzo". Lee le dijo a Enrique con quien estaba bebiendo.

"¿La conoces?" Preguntó uno de los hombres que estaba sentado en el bar junto a Enrique.

"¿Si la conozco? Sé acerca de ella tanto como tú sabes acerca de nadie en el mundo y me gusta el boxeo como a ti te gusta el dios del vino (el hombre estaba bebiendo un vaso de vino tinto Trapiche de Argentina). Ella es la más grande, la mejor, peruana, la más sensacional boxeadora que alguna vez ha existido, y Halana no la pudo derrotar como ella pensó lo haría".

"¿Fuiste al coliseo para verla pelear?" preguntó el extraño.

"No. Estuve sólo acá, justo acaba de terminar. Ella es la única boxeadora que vale".

Lee trataba de ser respetuoso con el alcohólico hombre calvo, que hablaba en una alta forma melodramática, pero Enrique estaba empezando a mover su cabeza mientras que el extraño se recostaba en él.

"Tú deberías haberte casado con ella" dijo el alcohólico.

"No hubiera hecho daño a su carrera", dijo Lee al alcohólico, "pero ya estoy casado".

"Bien, pienso que esto es un inconveniente, un esposo no es lo que ella realmente necesita de todas formas" dijo el extraño.

"¡Cielos! Qué luchadora es ella", repitió Lee.

"Esa es una buena forma de mirarlo" comentó Enrique, su cuñado, "¿No la noqueó Kina? Pasó tan rápido que no llegué a ver el resultado final"

"Un noqueo técnico es lo que llaman" dijo Lee, "ella estaba en la esquina, y hubiera sido la muerte si no detenían la pelea".

"Era un truco" dijo el alcohólico, "La peruana agarró a Halana por sorpresa".

"Kina la noqueó" dijo Lee.

"Ella se volvió para sonreírme, y así la peruana consiguió el golpe de gracia" remarcó el alcohólico.

"Pensé que dijiste que no habías ido a la pelea" dijo Lee.

"No, tú dijiste que no fuiste a la pelea; yo fui afuera sólo por la pelea".

"Fue una pelea grandiosa" remarcó Enrique, luego le susurró a Lee, "Espero que este asqueroso se vaya".

"¿Cómo puedes decir eso?" dijo el alcohólico a Lee y Enrique.

"Lo digo por que es cierto" dijo Enrique, "soy el único acá sentado a tu lado, déjanos en paz".

"¿Qué dijo?" preguntó el alcohólico a Lee.

"El dice que tú eres un alcohólico y que él conoce a Kina y que ella va a venir acá después de la pelea a golpearte por molestar a su cuñado".

"Es una mentira" dijo el alcohólico.

"Es verdad" dijo Enrique, "Es verdad lo que él dijo".

"Es una mentira" dijo el alcohólico orgullosamente.

Y justo entonces, una mujer cerca al alcohólico se armó de valor y golpeó al alcohólico, él se cayó al piso y ella dijo: "y me da lo mismo que creas o no, soy la cuñada de Kina", y el alcohólico sólo sonrió mientras que la miraba a ella, y dijo, "Puede ser posible".

Escrito un día después de la pelea, 21-06-2009
Inspirado y dedicado a Kina Malpartida.

Kina Malpartida Vs Halana Dos Santos, In - Championship Fight (In English and Spanish)

Esa

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

End of Time - 2012 - Fact Or Fiction?

The Movie

esata card

On Friday, November 13, the appropriate release day for all things gone wrong, the movie "2012" was released. The German director of blockbuster epic and disaster films including Godzilla, Independence Day, and The Day After Tomorrow, Roland Emerich directs the long discussed "End of Time" scenario using the end of the ancient Mayan calendar as the basis for planet earth's destruction. Using computerized special effects to their utmost, current trailers indicate the latest and most catastrophic of all his many in that genre'.

Esa

The Mayan Calendar and Predictions

1. The ancient Mayan civilization of Central America was and is the most advanced in history in

relation to time-science knowledge without computers.

2. Their calendar is the most accurate on the planet, and unlike the Egyptian calendar, which was

produced by a civilization also advanced in astronomy, never has been reset. According to the

best computers,the only adjustment to the Mayan Calendar will be one day in 380,000 years Our Gregorian calendar by contrast needs to be continually reset throughout its existence.

3. The Mayans realized that not only did Earth and the planets revolve, but the entire solar system also revolved once every 25,625 years. They were able to compute that within that one galactic revolution there were 5 times that the Sun and Earth was synchronized with the same plane at the center of the galaxy, and it's elliptical path goes directly through the equator or the dark center of the Milky Way, which the Mayans called the dark rift, and we call dense dark matter or black hole.

4. The Mayans computed that at the beginning of their civilization in 3113B.C they were entering the fifth great cycle of the 26,525 year galactic revolution and that August 14, 3114 was day month and year 00.00.0000. Thus, the one and last great cycle of the galactic revolution was 5,125 years and beginning in 3114 BC,, would end in 2012 A,D on December 21, at precisely 11.11 Greenwich Mean Time.

5. Not only therefore, is December 21. 2012 the end of the 5,125 cycle when the Sun's elliptical path crosses through the center of the universe or the equator of the Milky Way, but also the end of the solar systems 25,625 year galactic revolution. While the end of every great cycle produced 'sparks" of great light to and from the center of the universe and the sun, that might produce a displacement in earth's rotation, the Mayans believed from the stories passed on from survivors of the four great civilizations before them that cataclysmic earth events destroyed these civilizations with mammoth natural disasters. The end of the fifth great cycle then, and at the same time, the crossing of the Milky Way by the December Solstice Sun in perfect alignment with Earth at the end of the galactic revolution would be the most destructive of all, unless humanity changed their ways to form a new consciousness of great harmony and compassion. However, their hopes of the chances of that happening are more than likely reflected in their absence of any calendar for a continuation of any cycle thereafter-in effect, the end of time!

Do Modern Scientific facts corroborate any of the Mayan calculations?

1. NASA calculations confirm the galactic revolution of the Solar System in 26,000 year periods as well as 5 stages in which the Sun elliptical plane crosses the equator of the Milky Way during that time.

2. Sunspot activity occurs regularly reaching its peak every 11 years. The last peak was in 2001 and the next peak will be at the end of 2012, Many scientists expect the solar flares (Mayan "sparks") to be of extremely high intensity during this peak and are prepared for substantially higher solar winds than we have seen in history. Solar flares in ancient times have been known to scorch the earth. Several nations are reported taking precautions against the projected solar flares with Russia supposedly in the process of building an underground city to accommodate 60,000 people, Norway has already built enough facilities for their entire population to go underground and Sweden, working with NATO, has created an underground seed bank to insure against agricultural collapse. (The source of precautions noted from: All About 2012.mht)

3. Gravitational and Polar concerns have been raised by a number of climate historians who are aware that the north and south pole have exchanged polarity many times in the life of the planet and severe solar upheavals could trigger a magnetic polarity shift again, with resulting violent cataclysmic events. As a matter of fact, Albert Einstein in 1955, the year of his death, postulated on the considerable weakening of the magnetic field over time and its vulnerability to solar eruptions which could affect magnetism to the extent of pole reversal. All of those concerns are directed towards the years and months now leading to December 21, 2012, or in the months shortly thereafter. This is of such concern, that the activity happening right now at the U.S. McMurdo Base in Antarctica while super-secret, and the increase in stereo infrared space technology by NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan) is said by many to be aimed at determining the possible severity of these 2012 solar events.

4. On the global warming front, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab reported in January 2008, that the rate of ice melt in the Antarctic had increased 75 percent in the last decade. The year before, University of Washington climatologists Cecilia Blitz and Marika Holland on the National Center for Atmospheric Research calculated that at the other end of the planet, the Artic Circle will be free of all its sea ice by 2040. Others predict ice-free summers beginning in 2012, when the Kyoto Treaty expires. This is important because the Greenhouse effect refers to CO2 trapped up in the atmosphere, which prevents the sun's heat from reflecting off the earth's surface and back into space. Since a dark ocean absorbs heat and white ice repels it, the continued loss of sea ice has created a positive feedback loop responsible for the exponentially increasing glacier melt.

5. "The movement of tectonic plates is intensifying. Some earth scientists have proposed that the loss of the planet's ice caps may be producing significant shifts in the earth's tectonics, citing Albert Einstein's speculation in 1955. as well as research since. What amazed geologists about the 9.2 earthquake that triggered the Asian tsunami in 2004 was not only the momentary wobble in the earth's rotation, but the extreme lateral and vertical movement of land masses-up to 30 meters in some places. Over a quarter of a million fatalities occurred from this tidal wave of biblical proportions" (Apocalypse 2012)

6. Whatever happens below the earth, the sun will certainly add to the mix in the near future. Sami Solanki of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research is convinced that present day solar activity is similar to historical mass extinction periods. He told a 2005 conference of solar physicists "Except possibly for a few brief peaks, the Sun is more active currently than at any time in the last 11,000 years" (our comment: last 2 Mayan great cycles?) The tremendous output of coronal mass ejections started in the 1940's and is expected to peak again in the years 2011-2012.

7. Last, but probably, least, is current information regarding a possible new planet purportedly on a path to pass through our solar system sometime between 2012 and 2014. It has been called Planet X, Nibrius and Eris, and other names, depending on antiquity stories, purported space tracking from the two Voyager spacecrafts of 1983 and 2003 and the aforementioned infrared heat probes. According to NASA experts, that is simply not true, and even though ( as the internet stories attest) a planet of another galaxy could have the kind of 3,600 year elongated orbit that could allow it to pass through our solar system, between the sun and earth, NASA assures us its closest position to earth would be by billions of miles. Even so, there is some question whether a mass of that magnitude could possibly affect us gravitationally. NASA also claims that if this celestial body could indeed impact us by 2012, it could be seen now with the naked eye. From such conflicting reports, this seems the least likely possibility for 2012 prophecies and given our current technology, would require an almost religious belief in conspiracy of massive proportions.

How about the prophecies throughout the ages regarding events near/on 2012?

From this author's perspective, the prophecies, including the Bible's Book of Revelations, while widely, and wildly quoted, are the least reliable evidence of all, since prophets through the ages have a propensity to produce vague and all-encompassing projections which can be used to fit a variety of circumstances. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, two well-known soothsayers point to a period in the early years of the 21st century as the time of great and massive cosmic changes causing earth-shaking or earth-ending events. Because of their precise timing, those two deserve mention and a third reflects a current computer projection.

1. The Cumean Sybil forecast in the 6th century AD that civilization would continue for another nine intervals of 800 years each, ending with the tenth which began in 2000, as follows: "These things in the tenth generation shall come to pass. The earth shall be shaken by a great earthquake that throws many cities into the sea. There shall be war. Fires shall come flashing forth from the heavens and many cities burn. Black ashes shall fill the great sky. Then know the anger of the Gods."

2. In the 16th century, Nostradamus predicted that in 500 years the full impact of his recorded visions he called quattrains, would be realized. In one of his many verses he wrote, " In the month of October, a massive movement of the globe such that there will be those who will think that the planet has lost its gravity, being plunged into the abyss of darkness. There will be omens in the Spring and extraordinary changes thereafter, reversal of nations and mighty earthquakes."

3. "The Web Bot Project developed in the late 1990's, was created to assist in making stock market predictions. The technology uses a system of spiders to crawl the Internet and search for keywords, much like a search engine does. The projects concept is aimed at tapping into the "collective unconscious" of the universe and its inhabitants. As well, there is an interesting time concept involved and an unusual concept of a "tipping point" regarding the past, current, and future times. But in 2001, bot operators began to notice that stock market predictions were not the only matters being accurately predicted by the program. They began to take notice of coincidence with occurrences and explored it further. In June 2001, the program predicted that a life altering event would take place within the next 60-90 days. An occurrence of such proportion that its effects would be felt worldwide. It turned out to be the events of 9/11/2001." (www.faqgo.com) by Mary Joah (condensed).

Now eight years later, the Web Bot predicts that "there will be an untimely demise for millions by 2012, brought upon by some combination of pandemics, economic collapse, breakdown of healthcare, and unknown energies from space".

Finally, the canaries in the coal mine

Up until the 20th century, miners were forced to excavate coal from the earth in deep mines that had no means of ventilation. To insure their protection against life-threatening methane gas and carbon dioxide, they took with them in a cage, a canary bird, who if unthreatened, could ease their morbid work with song, but if its tiny respiratory system should suddenly succumb, they knew that they needed to immediately leave the mine.

So it is, right now, with the suddenly vanishing animal kingdom, mostly small, such as fireflies, and bees, and bats, and all sorts of amphibians. There is a major mystery in the world just in the last few years that so many species that have populated the world for thousands of years are just disappearing and nobody knows exactly why.

In 2006, honeybees began abandoning their hives and disappearing. No bodies of bees have been found, and no one knows where they went, what happened to them or why. Each year since then the strange disappearance continues. Experts say more than one-third of all honeybees in the United States have vanished. One day bees would be swarming around the hive, apparently healthy. Then, all of a sudden they're gone, deserting their hives, the queen, their stores of honey, and their offspring. Other bees would avoid the deserted hives, not even to get the honey completely unguarded. Scientists call this strange event Colony Collapse Disorder. And without bees, humans have a major problem with agriculture, because we cannot go without the pollination that bees create.

In the past few years also, bats have been dying all around the world, from a strange new disease called White Nose Syndrome. Bats are one of our first line of defense against insects who are eaten by the ton by this animal. Amphibians too, eat millions of insects, and they also are disappearing rapidly. Entire species of frogs have vanished in the last 10 years and experts estimate that about half of all frogs face extinction. Amphibians have been on earth for almost 360 million years and never have their numbers been reduced like this. Insects carrying disease and eating crops could endanger the human species. More to the point is, are they the canaries foretelling the future of mankind? For that matter, consider one of the largest animals, whales. These behemoths are beaching themselves and dying at a record pace around the world and the best marine specialists cannot tell us why!

Conclusion?

Honestly, how do we process this information? Is it all a hoax, are we reading something into all of this that is nothing more than faux drama perpetrated by others only trying to sell something or to frighten people, or is there really some basis for concern? I leave the conclusion to each of you individually, and if it leads to more research on your part, there is literally, reams of information out there, some thought provoking, most not. But certainly it would seem that enough has been presented here and elsewhere to cause, at least, a temporary pause in our normal frenetic life, and some reflection.

End of Time - 2012 - Fact Or Fiction?

Esa